Apple Resumes Sale of Apple Watch in US After Appeals Court Blocks Ban

Apple Inc. scored a win in its fight to block the ban on selling its smartwatches in the United States. The tech giant filed an appeal after it was previously ordered to pull out its Apple Watches from the market.

Apple's move to file an appeal proved to be a good move as the federal court ordered a temporary suspension of the imposed ban while the company awaits the final decision from its appeal. This recent development in the case allowed the firm to resume the sale of its smartwatches in the country.

Battle to Keep Apple Watches in the Market

According to Reuters, Apple filed an emergency request to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to lift the order handed down by the U.S. International Trade Commission. The ITC recently announced its decision, stating Apple indeed infringed Masimo's patents.

The ITC ruled in October that some models of Apple Watches breached Masimo's patents for the blood oxygen feature, which has been added to most of the company's smartwatches since 2020. The commission proceeded to issue an import ban on the affected gadgets, which took effect on Dec. 26.

Victorious Court Appeal: Ban is Lifted

The company immediately submitted an appeal in a race to stop the order and succeeded. An analyst at Wedbush Securities, Dan Ives, commented on Apple's victory, "This is a big win for Apple that was unexpected by many given the legal issues involved in this patent battle. Masimo now has a big fight ahead."

CNBC mentioned that President Biden's administration refused to interfere in stopping the ban on Apple Watches. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sided with the company on its case, and now the ITC has until Jan. 10 to issue a response to the new decision.

"The motion for an interim stay is granted to the extent that the Remedial Orders are temporarily stayed," part of a court filing reads.

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